Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Get our “getting started” mini-course:

Cauliflower is a vegetable with a PR problem. It’s pale and scrunched-up and intimidatingly hefty, and it looks unmistakably like a brain. Add that to the way most people try it – boiled into much, or raw with some tasteless low-fat dip – and it’s not surprising that the poor cauliflower doesn’t have many fans.

But the cauliflower haters are missing out. As well as being jam-packed with nutrients (notably Vitamins C, K, B6, and B9), cauliflower has a savory-sweet side just waiting to shine through. The trick is to roast it first, with plenty of fat – this concentrates the flavor and softens the florets without turning them to mush. After a spin in the blender with some coconut milk and herbs, any unfortunate visual associations are completely gone: you’re left with a silky, creamy soup delicious enough to make you forget the words “diet food” forever.

As well as a versatile side dish, this would also be a wonderful soup for anyone sick in bed: the chicken broth is very healing, and the soup overall is easy to keep down without being bland or boring. To add a little crunch, you can sprinkle some bacon on top: this is optional, but the smoky flavor of the bacon adds an incredible taste and really complements the texture of the soup itself. A dash of parsley adds a nice visual contrast, and your bowl is ready to serve!